Red Sox Staffer Assesses First Season Of New Pitching Development Plan

Justin Willard contributes to a larger pitching operation

The Boston Red Sox entered a new era of pitching development when Craig Breslow took over as chief baseball officer. He brought brighter minds to Boston with pitching coach Andrew Bailey and director of pitching Justin Willard to help enact his vision.

The Red Sox set out to internally improve returning arms, rework pitch arsenals and maximize preparation. While the results have been up and down in 2024, there’s no doubt that numerous pitchers showed that the pitching process in the organization is on the rise.

Starters Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello all made 30 starts for the first time, while young arms such as Richard Fitts, Luis Guerrero and Zach Penrod jumped to make an impact in the big leagues with the Red Sox.

Willard joined NESN’s Tom Caron and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier on the “310 To Left” podcast to discuss the first season of this program and the next steps on the mound for the Red Sox.

You can catch the full clip from the podcast on YouTube or on Spotify.

About the Author

NESN Staff

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